Chapter 2 - Fever (1/2)

Chapter 2: Fever

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

It was so hot. Qiao Nan felt like she was on fire, as if her entire body was burning to ashes.

After a long struggle, Qiao Nan finally opened her eyes. She did not see a white ward, but an old and familiar room.

“Mom, Nan Nan is sick, is it alright that we leave her alone?”

“It’s fine. Your sister is very tough and used to a hard life. Such a minor illness will not take her life. Moreover, she will be starting school the day after. It is a good thing that she is sick, so that she can’t enroll for school.”

Concerned about matters related to her elder daughter, Ding Jiayi figured that if her younger daughter missed the opportunity to enrol for school due to the illness, she could then cajole the wretched girl to give up her studies and find a job to earn income.

“Mom, this watermelon is so sweet. Take a bite too.” Satisfied with what she had heard, Qiao Zijin smiled and fed Ding Jiayi a mouthful of watermelon.

When she heard the dialogue between the mother-daughter pair, Qiao Nan, who had a high fever, finally knew where she was.

Time had turned back to 25 years ago and she was back at the house of the Qiao family. The then 15-year-old Qiao Nan had a high fever and missed the school’s enrolment deadline. It was the year that she was cajoled by her mother to quit school and find a job to support Qiao Zijin.

That year, the night before Qiao Nan’s fever, it was raining cats and dogs. Because it was autumn, the weather was particularly cold.

Qiao Nan remembered that she had covered herself with a blanket before she went to sleep that night. However, when she was awake and already feeling sick, the entire blanket was found at the end of the bed.

While Qiao Nan vaguely recalled that, when the rain was at its heaviest in the middle of the night, someone seemed to have entered her room.

Eventually, Qiao Nan was not covered by the blanket. Even the window by the bedside was wide open.

If this was not the case, Qiao Nan would not have gotten a cold and fever.

In her previous life, Qiao Nan always believed that someone had come to her room. As for the window that was closed before she slept and opened subsequently, she a.s.sumed that it was an illusion – that she was too sick and confused.

But this time, Qiao Nan did not think that was the case.

“Last night”, someone must have been to her room. Not only had the person removed her blanket, but they had also intentionally opened the window. The motive was to cause her to fall sick so that she would miss the school enrolment deadline!

Just when Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin were spending happy time together, there was a loud bang that stunned both of them.

“Nan, Nan Nan?” Qiao Zijin’s face, who was happily holding and eating half the watermelon, turned stiff. She felt extremely awkward as she held the spoon, and was undecided on whether to continue to hold or put it down.

Seeing the half of the watermelon in Qiao Zijin’s hand, Qiao Nan laughed to herself.

Qiao Zijin was spoilt by their mother. Since a young age, she was overbearing and selfish. Qiao Zijin had a habit when eating watermelon. She like to hold half the watermelon and eat it with a spoon all by herself.

But it was in the 1980s now. Their financial situation was not as good. So every time Ding Jiayi bought watermelons, she would tell Qiao Nan and Qiao Zijin that she had only bought half the fruit.

But Qiao Nan saw it with her own eyes that Qiao Zijin was holding half the watermelon and eating it.

Qiao Zijin was allowed to eat half a watermelon. When it came to Qiao Nan, she would be lucky if she could have a “strand” of watermelon to eat!

“You wretched girl, why did you kick the door. Who do you want to scare?” Ding Jiayi’s face, that displayed no sign of guilt, turned black. She pointed at Qiao Nan’s nose and started scolding.